Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-03-07
A BRIDGE GIVES WAY.
A Peculiar Accident on the Rail In Mis-
souri,.

A Peculiar Accident on the Rail In Mis-
| souri,.
ST. LOUIS, March 6.-The accident OF
the Iron Mountain railway near De Soto
Mo-, which was very briefly referred II
late last night, while not being at all un
usual in regard to fatalities, proves to have
been quite remarkable in respect to severa
circumstances which attended it. 1t oc
CURED at Victoria, 80 miles south OF here
little after o'clock, and was occasicned
by the giving way, under the train, OF The
trestle which crosses Jexhin creek at thai
point. The train was the Texas express
and consisted of baggage, express and mai
car, smoker, two passenger coaches
and four sleepers, carrying about
100 persons. A heavy rain had fallen al
day and the creek was much swollen. Al
Hemitie, the first station this side of the
trestle, the engineer received orders to
run cautiously, as the rains had been
heavy and the creek was out OF its banks.
Engineer Kelly says that he ran slowly
Leyond that point, and both he and his
fireman WnSs Hatch, watched the track
very carefully. AS he approached the tres
tie Kelly observed the track was entirely
straight and level, showing nothing wrong,
and he went on without the slightest fear
or hesitation, but when his engine reached
about the middle of the trestle he felt the
whole structure
SINKING BENEATH HIM.
In an instant he opened the valve opera
ting the air brakes full width and brought
the train to so quick stop that the front
end Of one of the cars was crushed in by
the sudden shock. This saved the coaches,
but the baggage mail, express, and smOk-
ing cars went into the river below carrying
with them all the men on board. En-
gineer Kelly and Fireman Hatch went
down with the engine, and were sub
merged in the flood. Kelly, in his strug-
giles to free himself. found that one of his
feet was held last, but at the same time,
and Just rs he realized that he must
drown, the engine turned over, his foot
was released, and he came to the surface.
Seizing passing 10y he
CLUNG TO 1T DESPERATELY
and was swept down the torrent and
lodged against tree $50 yards below
With scarcely strength enough 90 move ne
clasped his legs and arms around q limb
of the tree, became unconscious and was
not restored until two or three hours after
he had been taken from the tree, when he
found himself kindly cared for i'll house
in Victoria. His face and head were Sc
verely cut, two OF histOes cut from one OF
his feet and he is very badly bruised in
various parts OF the body. He will re-
cover. Fireman Fatch was carried about
500 yards down stream, lodged III mass
of brush or drift and was resided
soon after the flood subsidized. He Is GOou
deal bruised but not seriously hurt. Inc
postal car was swept away some distance.
The postal clerks, Mccullough, Shaier
and Ryan, were badly bruised and almost
drowned. The smoker, which is said to
have contained some twenty persons, was
swept down about 300 feet below the tres
tie and ali of its occupants are believed t0
have been saved. There is some doubt
about the haggagcman and express mcssen-
yer being saved, but u late dispatch from
the wreck says that none OF the tralnmen
were lost